Digital Commons Network^™

Relationships Between Stable Isotopes And Mercury Contaminants In Feathers Of Black-Tailed Gull Larus Crassirostris, Yasuaki Niizuma

Marine Ornithology

The feathers of seabirds are widely used as appropriate indicators for various aspects of avian ecology and toxicology. To reveal total mercury (Hg) concentrations and the connection to diet using stable isotope analysis in Black-tailed Gulls Larus crassirostris, feathers were collected from 10 carcasses from the breeding colony on Kabushima Island during the incubation period in 2020. Total Hg concentrations in primary remiges were found to decrease during the molt sequence. The innermost primaries (P1), the first to be replaced after breeding, had the highest Hg concentrations of all feathers (7.73 ± 2.37 μg/g dry weight). The concentration of Hg …

Seasonal And Spatial Patterns Of Avian Assemblages In The Eastern Taiwan Strait: Implications For Offshore Wind Farm Development, Mei-Ling Bai, Chia-Hsiang Huang, Yu-Yi Lien

Marine Ornithology

The eastern Taiwan Strait, a region situated along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and currently undergoing rapid offshore wind energy development, remains poorly studied with respect to its seabird assemblages. Through intensive vessel-based transect surveys conducted between 2014 and 2021, this study documented 22,187 birds from 105 species across 10 orders and 29 families. Migratory non-seabirds accounted for 55.2% of individuals and dominated the species richness, highlighting the region's importance for migratory pathways. Seabird density was relatively low, however, consistent with trends in other tropical regions, and this pattern may also reflect both environmental degradation and methodological differences in density estimation. …

Status Of The Least Storm Petrel Hydrobates Microsoma In Peru, Mauricio Ugarte

Marine Ornithology

The occurrence of the Least Storm Petrel Hydrobates microsoma in Peru has been considered somewhat hypothetical by some authors, as its presence was previously supported only by sight records dating back to 1982. In this note, I confirm the presence of the species in Peru based on the re-examination of three specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. I also provide a summary of the historical records of its occurrences in Peru. Least Storm Petrel should be considered an uncommon boreal migrant in Peruvian marine waters.

From Kerguelen To Brazil: Insights Into The Movement And Health Of A Threatened Seabird, The White-Chinned Petrel Procellaria Aequinoctialis, Daphne Wrobel Goldberg, Karine Delord, Gabriela Bezerra, Janaina Rocha Lorenço, Beatriz Souto De Freitas Vieira, Livia Ribeiro Saraiva, Célia Lesage, Christophe Barbraud, Caio Azevedo Marques, Tatiana Neves

Marine Ornithology

This study presents the case of a White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis that was tagged as a fledgling in April 2023 in the Kerguelen Islands, southern Indian Ocean, and subsequently rescued on the southeast coast of Brazil in July 2024. Upon recovery, the petrel displayed symptoms of exhaustion, malnutrition, and anemia, highlighting the substantial energy demands associated with its extensive journey of over 10,000 km. Rehabilitation efforts were successful, resulting in the bird's release after a month of intensive care, which involved nutritional support and monitoring of its health parameters. This case highlights the importance of long-term coastal and marine monitoring …

Population Survey Of Southern Buller’S Albatross Thalassarche Bulleri Bulleri On The Solander Islands / Hautere, March 2024, Peter G. H. Frost, Barry G. Baker, Johannes H. Fischer, Paul M. Sagar

Marine Ornithology

An aerial photographic survey of the Southern Buller's Albatross Thalassarche bulleri bulleri population breeding on the Solander Islands / Hautere was undertaken on 09 March 2024, mid-way through the birds' incubation period. Overall, 6,761 individuals were counted: 6,215 (92%) on Great Solander and 546 (8%) on Little Solander. Of these, 4,213 were sitting on nests, 368 were partners to sitting birds, 573 were standing near empty nests, and 145 were apparently loafing. The status of the remaining 1,462 individuals (22% of the total) was uncertain. Assuming that their status was in the same proportions to those of the clearly observed …

Occurrence, Distribution, And Mortality Of Seabirds In South And Southeast Brazil, 2015–2019, Carla B. Barbosa, André M. Da Silva, Simone B. Leonardi, Tami A. Ballabio, Guilherme Fluckiger, Daniela F. Godoy, Henrique Chupil, Pedro V. Castilho, Karina R. Groch, Cristiane K. M. Kolesnikovas, Jeferson L. Dick, Marta J. Cremer, Camila Domit, Rodrigo R. Valle, Andrea Maranho, Mariana K. Britto, Hugo Gallo, André S. Barreto

Marine Ornithology

We compiled data on seabirds that use coastal and coastal/oceanic habitats, recorded alive and dead, during four years of beach monitoring in Santa Catarina, Paraná, and São Paulo states, along Brazil's south and southeast coast. This is a pioneering study, as no previous studies of this magnitude have been done in Brazil. Among the 26,900 individuals collected, 45 species were identified, distributed across four orders: Charadriiformes (29 species), Pelecaniformes (12 species), Sphenisciformes (one species), and Suliformes (three species). We determined maturity and sex for the five most abundant species: Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus, Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus, Brown Booby Sula …

Status Of Seabirds In Indonesian Waters, Muhammad Iqbal, Gusti Ayu Widayanti, Ina Aprillia, Diah Komala Sari, Nur Arifah

Marine Ornithology

We report the current status of seabirds in Indonesian waters, where a total of 74 species have been recorded. This includes nine species classified as threatened and 56 species protected under Indonesian law. The majority of seabird species in Indonesia are non-breeding visitors; only 16 have been recorded breeding in the region. Since the 2000s, several new species have been documented, including Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius, Lesser-backed Gull Larus fuscus, Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus, Beck's Petrel Pseudobulweria becki, Heinroth's Shearwater Puffinus heinrothi, Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistiagus, and Slender-billed Gull Chroicocephalus genei. While Indonesian waters encompass extensive and diverse seabird habitats, …

Quantifying The Effect Of Time On Geolocation Accuracy In Seabirds, Sophie Bennett, Richard A. Phillips, Jonathan A. Green

Marine Ornithology

Light-based geolocation can be an effective tool for understanding movements and distributions of free-ranging seabirds, particularly during migrations and long-distance foraging trips. The light levels recorded by geolocators (global location sensors; GLS loggers) are used to infer latitude and longitude of individuals from day length and time of local midday relative to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), respectively. However, there is an associated inaccuracy in these location estimates, associated with both systematic and random error. Previous studies have quantified this error by calculating distances to locations over the same time period derived from more accurate devices such as satellite transmitters (platform …

California Brown Pelican Pelecanus Occidentalis Community Science Project: Potential For Population Monitoring, Deborah L. Jaques, Tamara M. Russell, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Anna Weinstein, Richard R. Veit, Daniel Orr, Michael W. Parker, Jim A. Howard, David M. Mazurkiewicz, Daniel W. Anderson, Yuliana Bedolla-Guzmán

Marine Ornithology

From 2016 to 2019, we monitored the distribution, abundance, and age structure of California Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis californicus at nearshore communal roosts along the U.S. West Coast. This effort used “snapshot” surveys during spring and fall, simultaneously engaging up to 111 “community science” participants, i.e., volunteers, on single dates. Volunteers surveyed up to 89 sites and found as many as 22,000 Brown Pelicans. We derived abundance and population structure indices from these data and sought relationships to annual breeding season metrics and large-scale oceanographic indices in the California Current System (CCS). The proportion of immature birds increased during the …

Behavioral Response Of Atlantic Puffins Fratercula Arctica To Marine Heatwaves In The Gulf Of Maine, Usa: A Webcam Study, Julie Wallace, Keenan Yakola, Stephen W. Kress, Donald E. Lyons

Marine Ornithology

We observed a family of Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica in a burrow on Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge in the Gulf of Maine, USA, during the 2017-2020 and 2022 breeding seasons. The burrow was equipped with a high-resolution web camera, which allowed 24-hour daily observations. We investigated the impacts of elevated sea surface temperature (SST) and marine heatwaves (MHWs), which are linked to low food availability, on chick provisioning and burrow attendance. In 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022, the female was the primary provisioner, providing twice as many feedings as the male, and the male was the primary burrow guardian, …

Differing Sex-Related Arrival Of Red Phalaropes Phalaropus Fulicarius At Wintering Grounds In Chile, Yerko A. Vilina, Valeria Sabaj, Paola Sáez, Daniela Leiva-Calderón, Franco Cruz-Jofré

Marine Ornithology

Information is often sparse about whether sex affects arrival of long-distance migratory species at wintering grounds. In this paper we analyze the Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius, a species exhibiting sex-role reversal in its nesting patterns. Between September and December 2005, 166 individuals were found dead along the northern Chile coast, which borders the Humboldt Current. Each individual was tagged, and the date of finding was recorded. Nuclear DNA samples were obtained from 46 individuals and analyzed using a molecular sexing method. Results indicate that females arrived between September and early October, with males appearing in late October. On average, females …

Early Records Of Stones (Gastroliths) In Stomachs Of Antarctic Penguins, Peter D. Shaughnessy

Marine Ornithology

During 1915/16, A. H. Ninnis, on board S/Y Aurora of Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1917, collected penguins and seals to augment food supplies while the ship drifted in pack ice. Ninnis found stones (gastroliths) in 86 of 166 Adelie Penguin Pygoscelis adeliae stomachs (52%); numbers varied from 0 to 38 and averaged 2.1 per bird. He also examined eight Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteri stomachs. Two birds had about a dozen stones each, three had some, and three had none. The function of stones in penguins' stomachs remains unknown, but Ninnis did not consider them essential for digestion.

Seabird Abundance Patterns Along A Sydney–Los Angeles Transect, Christopher D. Mcquaid

Marine Ornithology

Our understanding of seabird occurrence patterns is influenced by the fact that some parts of the ocean are less travelled than others, particularly in the centres of oceanic gyres. During the Transglobe Expedition, the M/V Benjamin Bowring undertook a 34-day crossing of the Pacific Ocean from Sydney to Los Angeles. During the crossing, three one-hour watches were conducted daily (morning, noon, and evening), during which all birds visible from the ship were counted and identified (when possible). Bird counts were extremely low in the central regions of the South and North Pacific gyres, in stark contrast to the elevated counts—by …

First Record Of Lesser Frigatebird Fregata Ariel From Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Matthias D. Dehling

Marine Ornithology

The Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel is widespread in the western and central tropical Pacific, where it breeds from Raine Island, Australia, in the west to the Tuamotu Archipelago in the east (Marchant & Higgins, 1990). The non-breeding range is larger, extending northwest to Japan and rarely Russia (Sibley & Clapp, 1967) and northeast, rarely, to the northwest Hawaiian Islands, USA (Pratt et al., 1987), and exceptionally as a vagrant to the continental United States (Howell et al., 2014).

Movements By An Adult Male Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata Magnificens Connect Protected Areas In Waters Off Northeastern South America, Lucas Penna Soares Santos, Cecília Licarião, Heideger Lima Do Nascimento, Ricardo Krul, Juliana Kleinsorge, Larissa Schmauder Teixeira Cunha, Patricia Pereira Serafini, Fábio Olmos

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Molecular Screening Of Avian Viruses And Parasites In Wedge-Tailed Shearwaters Ardenna Pacifica And Barau’S Petrels Pterodroma Baraui On Réunion Island, Camille Lebarbenchon, Celine Toty, Solenn Boucher, Audrey Jaeger, Matthieu Le Corre

Marine Ornithology

We investigated Wedge-tailed Shearwater Ardenna pacifica and Barau's Petrel Pterodroma baraui exposure to infectious agents circulating in the western Indian Ocean. Using polymerase chain reaction and serological analyses, we screened for influenza viruses, flaviviruses, coronaviruses, and blood parasites (Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon, and Plasmodium). No active infections were detected and serological results suggested limited past exposure, with only two Wedge-tailed Shearwaters testing positive for antibodies to the influenza A virus. These findings indicate the limited role of these species as epidemiological reservoirs. However, environmental factors such as tick infestations and isolated breeding habitats highlight the need for continued epidemiological monitoring to support …

What To Eat When Far From Home? A Vagrant Seabird Selects Novel But Analogous Prey, William L. Kennerley, Gemma V. Clucas, Donald E. Lyons, Keenan C. Yakola

Marine Ornithology

Vagrancy in birds is an important mechanism contributing to range expansion and the establishment of new breeding populations. However, research on the ecology of vagrant individuals has been limited. From 2005 to 2021, a Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus, far outside its usual range, was a summer resident at Seal Island, Maine, USA. In 2020 and 2021, we collected fecal samples from this individual and identified prey types consumed via DNA metabarcoding techniques, using 12S and 18S genes. We identified six fish species in the Red-billed Tropicbird fecal DNA samples, with Atlantic Saury Scomberesox saurus and Atlantic Mackerel Scomber scombrus contributing …

Breeding Phenology And Reproductive Success Of Larid Species Nesting In Cuba, Antonio Garcia-Quintas, Dennis Denis, Christophe Barbraud, Sophie Lanco

Marine Ornithology

Breeding phenology is a life history trait that influences reproductive success and population dynamics, yet it remains poorly studied in tropical seabird species. The Caribbean constitutes a breeding hotspot for seabirds, although information about their phenology and reproductive success is limited. We characterized the breeding phenology and reproductive success of seven larid species during the 2021 breeding season on three cays in Cuba. To document breeding phenological phases, we conducted weekly surveys and used camera traps. We also recorded the number of nests, eggs and fledglings. Overall, the breeding phenology of the studied species was seasonal and relatively synchronous, occurring …

Bonavista Bay Murre Hunters In Newfoundland And Labrador Propose Further Interaction With Biologists And Managers, C. Wayne Humphries, Grant R. W. Humphries, Alexandra M. C. Robbins, Gail S. Fraser

Marine Ornithology

Thick-billed Murres Uria lomvia and Common Murres U. aalge, seabirds with low reproductive rates, delayed reproduction, and high adult survivorship, are hunted in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) by non-Indigenous residents. The traditional hunt has a complex regulatory history as a result of NL joining Canada in 1949 and the protection of non-game species under the Migratory Bird Convention Act. Thirty hunters from the northeastern region of the island of Newfoundland were interviewed about their knowledge of murres, their hunting practices, and their opinions on current hunting regulations. While the hunters had detailed local species knowledge from the region they hunted, …

Breeding Ecology And Incubation Behaviours Of Little Tern Sternula Albifrons In The Sabkhat Al-Fasl Lagoons, Saudi Arabia, Monif Alrashidi

Marine Ornithology

Aspects of the breeding ecology and behaviour of the Little Tern Sternula albifrons were studied in the Sabkhat Al-Fasl Lagoons, Saudi Arabia, a region characterized by extreme temperature fluctuations. Ground temperatures in the area can range from 50 °C during the day to 25 °C at night. Observations of 147 nests revealed that Little Terns prefer to nest in exposed sites with no vegetation cover. The distance from nests to the nearest bushes ranged from 11-17 m (median = 13 m), while the distance to water ranged from 2-10 m (median = 4 m). Using a small trail camera, adult …

Updating The Status Of The Peruvian Pelican Pelecanus Thagus Following Avian Influenza And El Niño Events In Peru, Liliana Ayala, Gabriela Sandoval-Lazaro

Marine Ornithology

The Peruvian Pelican Pelecanus thagus is an endemic species of the Humboldt Current System. Between November 2022 and March 2024, the avian influenza epidemic and El Niño conditions significantly affected the pelican population. This study provides an update on the population size and breeding status of the species in Peru. Pelican abundance decreased by 31.5% to 37.6% within marine protected areas. The number of live pelicans ranged from 1,652 to 46,046 in 2023 and from 14,505 to 52,540 in 2024, based on counts conducted in natural protected areas by Peruvian government officials. Breeding primarily occurred on six islands between October …

Notes On The Breeding Population Of The Polynesian Storm Petrel Nesofregetta Fuliginosa On Motu Motiro Hiva (Salas Y Gómez Island), Eastern South Pacific, Matías Portflitt-Toro, Juan Serratosa, K. David Hyrenbach, Guillermo Luna-Jorquera

Marine Ornithology

The Polynesian Storm Petrel is an endangered seabird found in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Despite its critical conservation status, little is known about its population, its breeding biology, and the threats facing it. We provide information about its reproductive status, nesting areas, and plastic ingestion on the remote island of Motu Motiro Hiva. In seven visits between 2012 and 2024, we found breeding activity to occur from August to November, with nesting cavities located primarily on the rocky areas of the east and southeast sectors of the island. We found an extremely high incidence of plastic ingestion in the 15 …

Masthead, Marine Ornithology

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Inside Front Cover, Marine Ornithology

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Development And Initial Validation Of An Instrument To Measure Teachers’ Socioscientific Issues Instruction Perceptions, Michael Edward Mitchell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about how high school science teachers perceive Socioscientific Issues (SSI) on a broad scale, including what factors shape their views of a pedagogical shift to adopt SSI. To address this critical gap, I constructed the Teachers’ Socioscientific Issues (SSI) Perceptions Survey (TSPS), the first instrument specifically designed and initially validated to measure teacher perceptions of SSI integration. This study presents the development and validation of the TSPS, offering robust evidence for its reliability, fairness, and construct validity.

Survey development adhered to gold-standard psychometric protocols (Bandalos, 2018; Crocker & Algina, 1986; DeVellis, 2012; McCoach et al., 2013) and …

Parameterizing Ion–Lipid Interactions From Local Clusters To Reproduce Experimental Bulk Properties Of Lipid Bilayers, W. Matthew Saunders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Phospholipids are the main component of cell membranes, providing a delimiting boundary for cells from their environments or from their organelles from the cytosol. Thiscompartmentalization allows cells to maintain quite different solutions within their cells and organelles, including different mixtures dissolved ions. Consequently, these membranes are constantly flanked by complex mixtures of salts at varied concentrations. To study membrane structure, one cannot neglect the contribution of the salts in the local solution. Ions perturb bilayer structure via specific interaction with the phospholipids, primarily with the headgroups. Experimental studies of these systems are somewhat at odds — scattering experiments with different …

Investigating Whether Giving Or Receiving Support Impacts Caregivers Who Were Maltreated Or Not Maltreated Differently, Tara D. Matta-Singh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Caregivers can experience higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression compared to non-caregivers. However, a growing body of literature is beginning to show that while caregiving may be stressful, there may also be benefits to the caregiver, such as feeling closer to the care recipient, a sense of purpose or personal growth. Further, research now demonstrates that giving support to others can be more beneficial than receiving support from others in terms of mental health and even mortality. While these are important advances in the literature, understanding the impacts of giving and receiving support on individuals who were maltreated by …

Communicating The Truth-Telling And Space-Making Of Black Women In Higher Education: A Trap Feminist Study, Chazman Deira Mckoy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation adopts a “for Black women, by Black women” approach to examine how Black women’s lived experiences and performances of racialized gender become communicative acts of agency as they navigate the intersecting challenges of race and gender within pedagogical contexts.

Grounded in Black Feminist Pedagogy and expanded through Trap Feminism, this study celebrates the complexity of racialized gender performances and theorizes them as intentional communicative acts of resistance. These acts not only confront dominant ideologies but also create ongoing spaces for truth-telling, spaces where Black women can reframe how their stories, labor, and brilliance are recognized in academic contexts …

Leveraging Dna Methylation Profiling And Microrna Sequencing To Characterize The Epigenomic Landscape Of Major Depressive Disorder Disease Trajectory, Jan Dahrendorff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and debilitating mental disorder associated with a significant disease burden and economic cost. Despite ample evidence documenting the efficacy of a diverse array of established MDD therapies, a large proportion of patients are inadequately responsive to initial treatment attempts, with first-line treatments leading to remission in only ~30% of the patients. Importantly, about a third of patients even fail to achieve symptom improvement after two or more antidepressant trials, resulting in what is commonly defined as treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The ability to identify which treatments are most likely to elicit a positive response …

A Multi-Faceted Study Of Antibiotic-Resistant, Opportunistic Pathogens In Wastewater And Environmental Water, Jeanette Calarco

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More than 2.8 million infections due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria occur annually in the United States, and more than 35,000 people die as a result. Domestic wastewater (sewage), which contains antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes, is collected at treatment plants for removal of contaminants, e.g. pathogenic microorganisms and nutrients. While wastewater treatment is designed to remove antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other microorganisms through treatment and disinfection, some bacteria may escape treatment. Treated wastewater effluent is generally discharged into surface waters; however, some fraction of the effluent may be used as recycled water. Compromised wastewater collection infrastructure and sewage spills can disseminate …